In the spring of 2008, the McNair Exploratory Program (MEP) was created to serve as a pipeline for future cohorts of McNair Scholars. MEP provides participants with workshops focussed on navigating their liberal arts education, establishing and maintaining a faculty relationship and exposes participants to research opportunities. Students also learn about the McNair Program’s goals and requirements. Students are encouraged to apply during the fall semester of their first year.
This program runs during the academic year and applications will open again in September 2024 and will be due in September. Students are paired with faculty mentors and meet with them at least twice during both the fall and spring semesters. Students may have the opportunity to be immersed in the work of their mentors through lab visits, readings and discussions of academic papers, participation in a colloquium or research presentations, and other activities designed by mentors and the McNair staff.
The central purpose of the MEP is to involve first-year student mentees in a conversation with faculty mentors about professional career opportunities, graduate education, and research. In addition to being paired with a faculty mentor, MEP students are also paired with a Pine Manor Institute advisor and participate in academic and social activities through the academic year.
Applications for both Undergraduate participants and Graduate mentors open in the fall for each academic year.
The McNair Exploratory Program is available to all enrolled Boston College first-year, first generation college students. To be eligible, a student must be a citizen of the United States or have permanent residency and have a need for our services.
The McNair application is currently closed and will open in January 2027. For more information, please contact achievement@bc.edu or visit our office at 72 College Road.